Rodney Harvey

American actor, a sad and sordid story of a young man who was unable to handle the lethal combination of fame, fortune and drugs. Barely 5' 6" and touchingly handsome, he was for a while a golden boy, hanging out with the Hollywood young crowd to talk films and party like there is no tomorrow. He was picked up literally from the streets at 16 by a filmmaker who saw him transacting a deal to buy a knife, and put into a small role for $100 a day plus expenses. He was in "Spike of Bensonhurst" and "Salsa," and before long, making $1,000 a week starring in "The Outsiders" TV series. His education was lacking and his tastes simple; he liked junk food, vodka, and before long, designer drugs. Running with a gang that included Drew Barrymore, David Arquette and Balthazar Getty, he began to see dropouts from the set of young actors; River Phoenix OD'd, flopping on the street like a fish in front of the Viper Club, Nick Curtis, Tony's son, died of a heroin OD, Ron Marquette died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Those who stood on the sidelines found it crushing, how easy it was, how easy the money, the fame, the fix. As Harvey's addiction increased, he began to spend more time on the streets and in jail than in casting calls. He got sloppy and was picked up for burglaries to support his habit. The half million dollars he'd made in films was gone. "Guncrazy," shot in 1992 was his last movie. Harvey died of cocaine and heroin overdose on 4/11/1998, Los Angeles. Link to Wikipedia biography